it would connect the indian ocean to the south china sea. it could be a gateway for foreign investment in myanmar. the project has gained extra attention since myanmar launched its policy along with economic and democratic reforms. >>> it's a legacy of decades of war. land mines and unexploded bombs kill and maim people in afghanistan almost every day. more often than not the victims are civilians, a danger highlighted again this week when a group of girls stepped out of their homes to do a chore. nhk world's hideki yuri reports. >> reporter: a small village in eastern afghanistan mourns the loss of its children. on monday the bodies of 11 girls aged between 9 and 11 years old laid to rest. >> translator: the girls were trying to collect firewood outside the village. when they became victims of a landmine explosion. >> the explosion apparently occurred while the girls were getting firewood. one of them accidentally struck an explosive device with an ax. an estimated 10 million land mines have been buried across afghanistan since the soviet i